Carbon Supported Noble Metal (Pd and Au) Catalysts Synthesized by an Oxide Route with High Performance for Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Media

Local probe investigation of electrocatalytic activity

As the world energy crisis remains a long-term challenge, development and access to renewable energy sources are crucial for a sustainable modern society. Electrochemical energy conversion devices are a promising option for green energy supply, although the challenge associated with electrocatalysis have caused increasing complexity in the materials and systems, demanding further research and insights. In this field, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) represents a specific source of knowledge and understanding. Thus, our aim is to present recent findings on electrocatalysts for electrolysers and fuel cells, acquired mainly through scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and other related scanning probe techniques. This review begins with an introduction to the principles of several SPM techniques and then proceeds to the research done on various energy-related reactions, by emphasizing the progress on non-noble electrocatalytic materials.

Sandwiched Graphene Interdiffusion Barrier for Preserving Au@Pt Atomically Thin Core@Shell Structure and the Resulting Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalytic Activity

The concept of a core-shell metallic structures, with a few atomic layers of the "shell" metal delineated from the "core" metal with atomic sharpness opens the door to a multitude of surface-driven materials properties that can be tuned. However, in practice, such architectures are difficult to retain due to the entropic cost of a segregated near-surface architecture, and the core and surface atoms inevitably mix through interdiffusion over time. We present here a systematic study of interdiffusion in a Pt on Au core-shell architecture and the role of an interrupting single layer of graphene sandwiched between them. The physical and chemical structure of the (near)surface is probed via mean-free-path tuned X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and electrochemistry (the oxygen reduction reaction, ORR). We find that at operating temperatures above 100 °C, there is potential for interdiffusion to occur between the primary and support metals of the core-shell catalyst system, which can diminish the catalyst activity toward ORR. The introduction of a single-layer graphene, as an interface between the core and shell metal layers, acts as a barrier that prevents unwanted surface alloying between the layered metals. HRTEM imaging shows that fully wetted Pt monolayers can be grown on a graphene template, allowing a high level of surface utilization of the catalyst material. We present how the use of graphene as a barrier to diffusion mitigates the loss of surface catalytic sites, showing much improved retention of Pt monolayer surface at elevated temperatures.